I just wanted to address something that I see come up often. I study ultrasound, and as a result of that I have learned a lot about OB ultrasound specifically. Many women here mention wanting to hear that heartbeat at their early scans. However, it is considered bad practice to use pulsed wave Doppler (the one that makes the noise) or Color Doppler (the one that shows blood flow as a color on the screen) during the first trimester. Instead we use something called M mode, which does not make a sound, to measure the heartbeat. The reason is, PW and Color Doppler use a lot of energy and can cause something called tissue cavitation, and on a tiny little bean we do not know what kind of effect this could have. I always think of this example: in an US of the breast, you can use color Doppler to kick up debris in a cyst to see whether or not it is mobile. So just think how much energy that has if it can move something around like that.
For this reason I question the safety of using these at home Dopplers to hear your baby's heartbeat in the first trimester when so much is still developing. I don't know if the technology is different, but assuming that it is the same as the technology used by ultrasound it makes me cautious. I just want to throw that out there for you ladies so you can make an informed decision. I am sure many doctors are ok with it, but I have also seen plenty of techs use Color Doppler on 1st trimesters when we are definitely taught not to do that unless it is absolutely necessary.
Don't want to scare anyone, just want all you ladies to be informed
Am drinking a lot of hot orange and honey, and hoping the cold goes away soon. I'm fine with having morning sickness, for the moment!
, but kinda harsh you have to wait. In the Uk a technician (well certainly where im based) they will tell you what they are doing while they are doing it and give a report straight after.
